Electrical responses of the human retina.

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Abstract
Oscillographic records of electrical responses from the normal human retina were obtained by a technic which yields a faithful reproduction of the magnitude and wave-form of each response. When the eye is adapted to successively higher levels of field brightness both the magnitude and latency of the responses to a test flash are markedly reduced. When the level of adaptation has been raised to about 1.5 foot-lamberts the electrical responses are found to have disappeared almost completely. The response to red light includes an initial diphasic wave. This is never present in response to blue light, but may appear in reduced amt. in responses to lights of intermediate wavelengths. The specific sensitivity of the eye to colors (luminosity function) as revealed by this type of recording is similar to that of the dark-adapted eye as measured by the conventional low-level matching expts. The quantitative data obtained in these expts. support the conclusion that the principal component of the human retinal action potential is initiated by the scotopic system of the eye. Hence, the present technique provides a means for isolating that system for study, even at high levels of stimulation.

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